


The Very Best

by bangtannbangdamn



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, light hearted
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:55:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24489343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bangtannbangdamn/pseuds/bangtannbangdamn
Summary: Jeon Jungkook wants to be the new Pokemon Champion. But first, he must defeat 5 Gym Leaders before he can ever hope to challenge the Champion.
Kudos: 4





	The Very Best

**Author's Note:**

> I honestly don’t know where this came from other than I love BTS and I love Pokemon.

Jungkook had dreamt of this day: the day he and his small team of pokemon were finally ready for the ultimate journey. He knew it wouldn’t be easy, that he would most likely fail. But he was determined to be the greatest Pokemon Champion the world had ever known, and the first step to his journey was in the next town over. **  
**

The water gym. It was supposedly the easiest gym of the 5 he was to face. Mostly because of its kind gym leader who was the only one who allowed for do-overs. Despite this, many still failed to collect its badge and progress through the challenge. But Jungkook was determined. He didn’t care how many attempts it was going to take him; he was going to beat Jung Hoseok. 

Jung Hoseok was often referred to as the reincarnation of Poseidon himself. With his strong bond with his water-type Pokemon and extravagant knowledge of water type attacks, Hoseok was known to give trainers a good run for their money. Like most gym leaders, Hoseok was not only famous for his mastery on the field but for his Pokemon and Me work out classes he when the gym was otherwise unoccupied. 

Despite his cold appearance during a match, Hoseok was also the kindest as he always made sure that no trainer left his gym feeling too downtrodden and always welcomed them back with open arms and advice on how to improve. Whilst he enjoyed winning, he simply enjoyed helping trainers improve more. 

The first time Jungkook battled Hoseok, Jungkook had barely weakened Hoseok’s Vaporeon, his first pokemon, and all of Jungkook’s pokemon were quickly taken out. Jungkook barely lasted 30 minutes on the field. It was humiliating and it would have been easy to give up then and there. After all, Jungkook had spent years crafting his team. All those hours researching instead of doing his homework to find out the weaknesses for every type of Pokemon he was to face and he still failed. 

Hoseok placed his hand on Jungkook’s shoulder, stopping Jungkook from leaving. 

“Think about the order of your line-up. You did well.” Hoseok smiled, squeezing Jungkook’s shoulder before letting him leave.

Jungkook took a few days to mull over Hoseok’s advice. When he returned, he planned on sending out his pokemon in a different order. He analysed his pokemon’s strengths and thought that this attempt would be his.

It was not. Although he managed to defeat the first 3 of Hoseok’s pokemon, Jungkook was wiped out by the fourth. 

“You’re great with your commands and your pokemon are quick with how they respond to you. That takes a lot of trust. But you need to think about the battle and not just which of your pokemon are your strongest.”  
  


That night, as Jungkook and his pokemon rested at the local Pokemon Centre, he let Hoseok’s words tumble through his mind. It was a difficult problem and it wasn’t often that Jungkook found himself struggling. He knew these battles would be hard - even anticipated it. But he hadn’t expected them to be this challenging in this way. He had never considered that the way he sent out his pokemon could affect the outcome of the battle itself.

As dawn broke over the horizon, Jungkook knew what he needed to do. He was waiting for Hoseok the moment the gym opened.

“I want another rematch!” Jungkook bowed his head as he smiled at Hoseok.

Hoseok was surprised as he walked Jungkook back through his gym. He had never seen a trainer return so quickly after a defeat. It sent a spike of excitement as he faced the younger man.

Jungkook let Hoseok’s previous advice wash over him. To consider his line up; to anticipate the battle. As Hoseok sent out his first pokemon, so did Jungkook. But this time, as the battle progressed, he switched out his pokemon. He didn’t think in terms of which pokemon were better suited against Hoseok’s, he thought about their moves. He thought about keeping Hoseok on his toes and never letting him keep the upper hand.

Jungkook easily took out all of Hoseok’s pokemon without any of his pokemon being defeated.

Hoseok smiled. “You did well, Jungkook. Truly one of the best pokemon battles I have ever had. It is an honour to hand you this.”

Hoseok bowed as he presented Jungkook with his badge.

But Jungkook knew that this was only the beginning. Each battle he faced was only going to be harder. And if he lost at any point, he would be forced to start again.

The next gym was further away than the first, taking Jungkook miles away from his home and into the forest. 

Whilst the gym was in a remote location, the path to it was well-trodden. After all, Park Jimin was a renowned grass and poison Gym Leader whose gym also acted as one of the best pokemon retreats in the world. It was frequently visited by trainers and patrons alike to seek escape in the tranquil landscape.

Jimin was a formidable foe. All of his pokemon were trained to use heal, making landing a hit almost impossible. But Jungkook persisted. He combined attacks in quick succession, cheered for his pokemon when they landed a successful move. 

By the time Jungkook took out the last of Jimin’s pokemon, both he and his team were exhausted. Jimin handed over his badge with a brilliant smile and offered Jungkook room and board for winning, to which he and his pokemon enjoyed. 

Min Yoongi’s gym was, of all places, on the side of an active volcano. Jungkook knew he shouldn’t have been surprised, considering Yoongi was the leader of a fire and dark type gym, but he still found himself awed as he took in the building. 

Unlike the previous gym leaders, Yoongi offered a few words before the battle. He was surprisingly cold for a man surrounded by fire, and yet Jungkook found comfort in that. There was something about the quiet disposition of the gym leader that helped Jungkook relax. When the battle finally began, Jungkook was ready.

It was by no means an easy battle. Jungkook’s win was by the skin of his teeth. Most of his pokemon were eliminated and it resulted in a 1 on 1 showdown. But he had succeeded. 

Yoongi smiled at Jungkook for the first time, shaking his hand before offering Jungkook his badge.

As Jungkook took the badge, Yoongi laughed.

“Now the easy part is over. Good luck.” 

Jungkook had no idea how to take that. If anything, his journey so far had been far from easy. But the moment he had stepped into Kim Taehyung’s gym he understood. 

Kim Taehyung was eccentric. Renown for his fairy and dragon-type pokemon, he had settled his gym on a quiet mountain top underneath the aurora borealis. And whilst his whimsical personality had Jungkook believing he was in for an easy battle, he was quickly proven wrong.

Taehyung was a beast. As soon as the battle began, his focus zeroed in on Jungkook. Dragon types were notoriously difficult to beat, and Jungkook quickly found himself going toe to toe with Dragonite. As if it wasn’t enough to contend with, Taehyung proved to be a quick study. He quickly learned Jungkook’s battle strategy, applying the pressure until Jungkook was certain he was going to lose.

But somehow Jungkook managed. When Taehyung awarded Jungkook his badge, Jungkook began to doubt his strength as a trainer. After all, Yoongi was right. Jungkook had just come close to losing it all. 

But Jungkook couldn’t give up now. He had to forge ahead. After all, the next battle was his last before he faced the Champion. 

Fortunately, the next gym was exactly what Jungkook needed. The largest library in all the world was where Kim Namjoon housed his psychic type gym. 

Namjoon smiled when Jungkook declined his battle invitation, instead deciding to use his time researching in the library. He spent a few days refreshing his mind on strategies, past champions, pokemon types, and attacks in the hopes of finding inspiration. But the further he dug, the more lost he felt.

By the time Jungkook stood opposite Namjoon, he felt like he had already lost. But he wasn’t prepared to go without a fight.

Unlike his previous battles where Jungkook had thought without an audience, this time he had attracted a crowd. News of a new trainer successfully making his way through the gyms had spread, but Jungkook had never really noticed his popularity until that moment. The few days of research had been enough for the word to spread, and now, as he grabbed his first pokemon ball, the crowd was hushed into silence. 

What Jungkook didn’t expect was for a quick battle. With his research still fresh in his mind, Jungkook made quick work of eliminating Namjoon’s pokemon. 

When Namjoon handed over his badge, Jungkook couldn’t hide his surprise.

“You earned it.” Namjoon clasped Jungkook’s shoulder and smiled. “Never underestimate the power of research.”

Jungkook bowed his head.

Now he only had to face the champion. Unlike the remote locations many of the gyms were housed, the Champion was found at the stadium in the city. It had been a while since anyone had made it this far in the championship, so Jungkook found himself greeted with a procession. Even the gym leaders Jungkook had faced had made the journey to see his battle. All the music and cheers warmed him up for a moment, but he was quick to remind himself of the upcoming battle. He wouldn’t allow himself to bask in the celebratory atmosphere until he had truly won.

Kim Seokjin was, after all, the best and nobody had come close to beating him since he took up the mantle of Champion. But Jungkook was unaware of just what he was about to face.

Seokjin was a chaotic force of nature and, as such, was known to change his line-up of pokemon frequently. No two pokemon battles were the same with Seokjin, which made researching effective strategies near impossible. 

Even so, Jungkook still found himself surprised when Seokjin spent most of their battle cracking jokes in between moves. 

“What did one Geodude say to the other Geodude? Let’s rock!”

“Why was Hypno so energetic? He wasn’t Drowzee anymore.”

“Why can’t you blindfold a Pokemon? Because it’s going to Pikachu!”

And after each of his disastrous pun came his cackling laugh. Jungkook tried to drown him out, to focus on the battle, but to no avail. He was down to his last 2 pokemon, whilst Seokjin still had 3 at his disposal. 

As Seokjin cracked another ghastly pun, Jungkook groaned, “Would you stop, they’re not that funny!”

Seokjin gasped. “Not funny? NOT FUNNY!?” He glared at Jungkook. “My jokes are world-class! Pikachu use iron tail!”

Jungkook barely got his pokemon out of the way in time. But Jungkook’s words had hit home. Seokjin was no longer cracking jokes, his attention solely on the match. Which, for anyone else, would have spelt disaster. But not for Jungkook. 

With his attention on the battle, Seokjin’s battle strategy shifted. No longer were his commands as chaotic as the man himself leaving Jungkook scrabbling to keep up; they were precise. Focused.

And that meant Jungkook could strategise. 

By the time Jungkook was lowering his head for the championship medal to be placed around his neck, he could hardly believe himself. He had done it.

He was the new Pokemon Champion.

Seokjin glared at Jungkook. “Enjoy it whilst it lasts, I will reclaim my throne.” 

Jungkook laughed. “I’ll look forward to the rematch.”

“You’re not supposed to laugh! You’re supposed to be intimidated!”

“By you?” Jungkook shook his head, unable to contain his happiness. “I’d like to see you try.”

“Why you-” Seokjin collected himself, releasing a levelled breath. “Just you wait, punk.” 

Seokjin kept his eye contact as he backed away.

“He means it, you know,” Yoongi announced as he shook Jungkook’s hand. “He will be back for a rematch.”

Jimin groaned as he joined them. “Oh man, I was enjoying the peace. Jin’s going to bring the full procession again, isn’t he?”

Taehyung shrugged as he slapped Jungkook’s back. “Eh, it’s not so bad. At least he brings food.”

One by one, the gym leaders approached Jungkook to congratulate him on his win and to welcome him to the family. 

It was more than he could have ever dreamed of.

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoyed this story, consider following my Tumblr, @bangtann-bangdamn for more!


End file.
